Police: New London man strangled woman, failed to appear in court

New London — Police last week charged a city man in connection with an act of domestic violence and with failing to appear in court on another case.

Larry J. Gaskill, 32, of 50 Rosemary St. was charged Thursday with first-degree failure to appear in court, third-degree strangulation and disorderly conduct.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Gaskill on Nov. 6, 2017, grabbed a woman by the throat inside a New London residence on three separate occasions. The woman told police Gaskill also threw her against a wall and pushed her down during the ordeal.

According to the warrant, the woman said she never lost consciousness but did have trouble breathing as she was being choked. Police noted that she had a mark on her neck when they responded to the scene. The woman declined treatment.

According to the warrant, Gaskill told an officer that he and the woman fought that day because he had gone “out partying” the night before. Gaskill said he left the residence after the woman threw something at him. When pressed about the mark on the woman’s neck, Gaskill allegedly hung up on the officer.

The officer applied for and received a warrant for Gaskill’s arrest on Nov. 21.

In arresting Gaskill on the warrant last week, city officers learned he had failed to appear for a Dec. 4, 2017 court date for another open case. According to available records, that case stems from a Jan. 5, 2017, crash that left a Salem man with suspected minor injuries.

According to a state police accident summary, Gaskill on Jan. 5, 2017, failed to yield the right of way as he pulled out of his driveway in Colchester, where he lived at the time. Police said Gaskill crashed into a car being driven by Salem resident Matthew King, who sustained minor injuries in the wreck and was taken to Hartford Hospital.

According to the summary, police took Gaskill into custody for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Records show Gaskill also faces charges of second-degree assault with a vehicle, failure to carry minimum insurance and driving an unregistered vehicle in connection with the case. It was his second time being charged with driving under the influence.

Gaskill appeared in Norwich Superior Court for the DUI-related charge Monday. His bond was raised from $20,000 to $50,000.

He is next due in New London Superior Court for the domestic violence case March 1.